Footballer, born in Oliena, Sardinia, Italy. He played for Parma, then joined Chelsea in 1996. He was also a member of the Italy national team in the Euro 96 championships, and of the Italy World Cup squad in 2002. He joined Sardinian club Cagliari in 2003 and announced his retirement from football in 2005.
| Gianfranco Zola | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gianfranco Zola | |
| Date of birth | July 5, 1966 | |
| Place of birth | Oliena, Sardinia, Italy | |
| Nickname | Franco, Magic Box, Tamburino Sardo | |
| Position | Attacker | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
|
1984-1987 1987-1989 1989-1993 1993-1996 1996-2003 2003-2005 |
Nuorese Turris Napoli Parma Chelsea Cagliari |
31 (10) 88 (21) 105 (32) 102 (49) 229 (59) 35 (9) |
| National team | ||
| 1991-1997 | Italy | 35 (10) |
|
* Professional club appearances and goals |
||
Gianfranco Zola, OBE, born July 5, 1966 in Oliena, Sardinia, is a former Italian footballer, and was the 1997 Football Writers' Player of the Year in England.
Early days in Italy
Zola signed his first professional contract with Sardinian team Nuorese in 1984. He won the UEFA Cup with Parma and they were runners-up in Serie A and the Italian Cup in 1995.
Chelsea career
In November 1996, Zola joined English Premier League club Chelsea F.C. Zola played a significant part in Chelsea's resurgence that season as they won the FA Cup.
In 1998 he helped Chelsea win the English League Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the Super Cup. An injury denied him a place in the starting line-up for the Cup Winners' Cup final against VfB Stuttgart at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm, but he came as a second half substitute, scoring 21 seconds later.
In early 2003, 'Franco was voted as the best ever Chelsea player by Chelsea's fans.
Return to Italy and retirement
In the summer of 2003, amid rumours of an impending takeover at Chelsea, Zola left CFC to join Cagliari, a club from his native Sardinia.
In his entire career, Zola played 627 games and scored 193 goals.
International career
Zola played for his country at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and Euro 96.
|
Preceded by: Éric Cantona |
FWA Footballer of the Year 1997 |
Succeeded by: Dennis Bergkamp |
Honours and awards
Napoli
Serie A winner:1989-90Parma
UEFA Cup winner: 1995Chelsea
FA Cup winner: 1997, 2000 League Cup winner: 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner: 1998Personal Honours
Zola was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006 in recognition of his achievements in the English league.
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